Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure is directed to medical fluid delivery applications and, particularly, to a tubing assembly for use with a fluid delivery system.
Description of Related Art
In many medical diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, a medical practitioner, such as a physician, injects a patient with a medical fluid. In recent years, a number of injector-actuated syringes and powered injectors for pressurized injection of fluids, such as contrast solution (often referred to simply as “contrast”), have been developed for use in procedures such as angiography, computed tomography (CT), ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In general, these powered injectors are designed to deliver a preset amount of contrast at a preset flow rate.
Automatic fluid injection mechanisms typically include at least one syringe connected to one or more powered injectors having, for example, a powered linear actuator. Typically, an operator enters settings into an electronic control system of the powered injector for a fixed volume of contrast and/or saline, and a fixed rate of injection for each. Automatic fluid injection mechanisms provide improved control over manual apparatus. Successful use of such manual devices is dependent on the skill of the medical practitioner operating the device. As in a manual system, the fluid path from the automatic fluid injection mechanism to the patient includes, for example, a source of contrast, a source of flushing fluid, typically saline, and optionally, a pressure transducer. The source of contrast may be connected to the fluid path via a valve, for example, a three-way stopcock. The source of saline and the pressure transducer may also be connected to the fluid path via additional valves, such as stopcocks.
The injected contrast and/or saline are delivered to a patient's vasculature through the catheter, needle, or IV port, inserted into the patient's body, such as the patient's arm or groin area. A dose of contrast is referred to as a bolus. Once the bolus of contrast is delivered to the desired site, that area is imaged using a conventional imaging technique, such as angiography, CT, MRI or other imaging or scanning device. The contrast becomes clearly visible against the background of the surrounding tissue.
The presence of a plurality of valves, stopcocks, and various other tubing members often complicates the setup for filling the fluid delivery system with fluid and/or for delivering the fluid from the fluid delivery system to the patient. For example, certain fluid passages must be blocked or disconnected during a filling procedure and/or unblocked during the delivery procedure.